Ongoing call monitoring helps CyraCom’s trained employee interpreters facilitate accurate communication and excellent customer service. We take training beyond the new hire stage by providing consistent coaching and interpreter monitoring. Let’s review how call monitoring reinforces our high-quality standards and maintains strict regulation compliance.
CyraCom’s interpreter monitoring process
Following our comprehensive interpreter training course, CyraCom provides ongoing support to our interpreters by monitoring calls and providing coaching sessions for continued professional development. Interpreter supervisors monitor each employee interpreter at a monthly target rate of six times. We do not record calls, so monitoring is live and completed at random – helping to ensure that interpreters handle each call with the highest quality.
A typical call monitor follows these steps:
- The Interpreter Supervisor listens to a live call and identifies areas for improvement in three categories described in detail below: interpreting proficiency, language proficiency, and essential protocols.
- Following the call, the Interpreter Supervisor meets with the interpreter to discuss what went well and opportunities for enhanced performance.
- If an interpreter fails to meet quality expectations, CyraCom begins corrective steps, including more frequent one-on-one coaching and retraining.
Ongoing professional development
In addition to personalized training based on quality monitoring scores and client feedback, we regularly provide our employee interpreters with training modules, averaging over 5 modules a month. Our dedicated Curriculum Development team creates and updates these resources to educate and remind employee interpreters of interpreter protocols, best practices, and industry-related topics and terminology.
Client feedback process
Beyond regularly scheduled interpreter monitoring, we also use client feedback to help us maintain high-quality interpreter standards. Our client-feedback process is included in our quality management system ISO 9001:2015, which accredits CyraCom’s processes to meet customer and regulatory requirements and enhance customer satisfaction.
If a client isn’t satisfied with an interpretation session, we take the following steps:
Stage 1
- Client sends feedback regarding a specific interpretation session
- Client Services (CS) acknowledges receipt within 24 hours
- CS reaches out to:
-
-
- Interpreter leadership
- The supervisor on duty meets with the interpreter to discuss feedback and develop an improvement plan
-
- CS emails client with improvement plan details or investigation results
Stage 2
- On-duty supervisor meets with the interpreter, gets more feedback, and develops a plan of action.
- Supervisor sends plan of action to center manager for review and approval
- Supervisor emails approved plan of action back to CS and loops in the Director of Operations
- Plan of action is put into place. If necessary, increased monitoring takes place by direct supervisor
Interpreter monitoring improves quality
Unlike the independent contractor interpreters used by most language service providers, CyraCom’s employee interpreters can be lawfully trained and coached for improved performance. This means CyraCom employee interpreters can deliver superior customer service and more accurate interpretation to your team.
Our interpreter monitoring methods verify that each interpreter meets the following standards:
Interpreting proficiency
- Maintain the accuracy and completeness of the message: Does the interpreter avoid common interpreting errors such as omissions, additions or embellishments, and paraphrasing?
- Use effective short-term memory techniques: Are the interpreter’s notes accurate and concise? What other short-term memory methods does the interpreter implement?
Language proficiency
- Display fluidity and minimal hesitancy when switching between languages: Does the interpreter confidently communicate in English and the target language?
- Pronunciation: clear and understandable
- Syntax: proper grammatical arrangement
- Fluency: smooth with limited interruptions in flow
- Listening comprehension: minimal repetition requests
- Correct terminology: maintain register as necessary to provide accurate interpretation
Essential protocols and best practices
- Interpret in the appropriate mode: How does the interpreter use protocols to switch between conduit, clarifier, and cultural broker roles?
- Provide excellent customer service for all clients and call types:
- Using culturally and linguistically appropriate politeness markers
- Maintaining composure
- Projecting enthusiasm
- Preserving professionalism
Beyond these standards, Interpreter Supervisors confirm that our interpreters protect private information shared by your team, patients, or customers, in addition to following ISO 13611:2014 Guidelines for Community Interpreting.
Want to work with CyraCom’s qualified interpreters?
Contact our team for a complimentary language services consultation.
